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Six years of political and legal wrangling is nowhere near over, but the Tohono O’odham Nation is within four months of completing the first phase of its Desert Diamond Casino West Valley.

The $200 million building is about 60 percent complete and is on target for opening in late December at Loop 101 and Northern Avenue, said Ward Simpson, project manager of Rider Levett Bucknall.

Much of the building’s exterior is done, with some stone facing in place. The interior is taking shape with workers installing wiring for LED lighting, fiber-optic cables and other infrastructure to serve the gaming floor.

Opening the casino by year’s end is made complicated by the state’s opposition and a lawsuit pending in federal court, however.

“We prefer smooth sailing, but it hasn’t been that way,” said Treena Parvello, a spokeswoman for the Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise.